Gullah/Geechee Nationhttps://gullahgeecheenation.com
WEBE Gullah/Geechee Anointed Peepol!Fri, 16 Feb 2018 20:55:03 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngGullah/Geechee Nationhttps://gullahgeecheenation.com
Civil War 3-#StoptheDrill and #GullahGeecheehttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/civil-war-3-stopthedrill-and-gullahgeechee/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/civil-war-3-stopthedrill-and-gullahgeechee/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 16:54:48 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8722Our morning began in the cold as we left St. Helena Island. We were on the road at the hour that most of our ancestors and elders had to journey out into the fields and into the creeks. Ain bin dayclean yet. Even though the sun wasn’t shining and the wind was cutting, the more of us that got into the car, the warmer it got. By the time we got to the bus in Yemassee, our fire for freedom was a blaze and it felt hot.

As our bus headed up the ramp from Beaufort County, more buses left from Georgetown and Charleston County. They thought that they would make the decisions for us in the Midlands and in DC, but we were coming to let them know that we already decided what would take place in the Lowcountry to protect the Gullah/Geechee.

On board the bus, I felt like we were taking yet another freedom ride and through it would have to turn this political tide. As I stood on the steps of the South Carolina State House, I stood firm and listened very closely. As I heard the words from the representative from Greeleyville ringing out saying “We want our freedom now!”coupled with the words back to back from the other representatives saying that we are here to send a clear message to Washington, DC, I stood there thinking “South Carolina is firing again and this will be Civil War 3!”

South Carolina was the first state to succeed from the Union if you will recall the history. Reconstruction was, as the documentary is entitled, “the second civil war” for Black people coming out of slavery. So, as the words rang out that we will NOT be dictated to by DC, I stood there proud that so many agree with the stand of the Gullah/Geechee.

Gullah/Geechee natives Michael F. Rivers and Robert Brown who are representatives in the South Carolina Legislature came and stood with the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association. The moment will forever be embossed in my mind and in ourstory of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. In order to #StoptheDrill and #ProtectOurCoast we took a stand. We will NOT allow seismic guns and oil to destroy our cultural heritage, our waters, and our Sea Island sand! We stood for those that can no longer physically march nor stand and we will continue this fight with all that we can.

United were the people that took this freedom journey from our coast to the middle of the state and I will never forget the powerful energy that filled us on that date. It is now time to get more people to speak through their pens and online. We have until March 8th to enter comments in opposition to seismic guns and oil drilling one more time. I pray that folks will write in to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) juss likka we. We will not give up the fight to protect our homeland nor the sea! Hunnuh chllun, cum be souljahs een disya armee wid de #GullahGeechee! Cum unite een disya fight wid we!

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/civil-war-3-stopthedrill-and-gullahgeechee/feed/0Gullah/Geechee Stand Up to #StoptheDrill and #ProtectOurCoastgullahgeecheenationGullah/Geechee Stand Up to #StoptheDrill and #ProtectOurCoastQueen Quet Speaking Out at #StopTheDrill #ProtectOurCoast RallyBlack Panther Reflections from the @GullahGeechee Nationhttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/black-panther-reflections-from-the-gullahgeechee-nation/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/black-panther-reflections-from-the-gullahgeechee-nation/#respondFri, 16 Feb 2018 07:25:17 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8719The drums sounded somewhere up the dirt road around Anderson, SC.

However, this beat was distinct because it was one known to Wakanda and the Gullah/Geechee.

It was often only heard on the shorelines where we watch the sun touch the sea

And it can only be heard by Mother Africa’s children truly seeking to be free.

I can recall wrapping up on one set where freedom was out theme-Underground-to get the notification that folks should adorn themselves in African attire and come out for the casting call for the long awaited “Black Panther.” I had to catch a plane to go stand for the Black Panthers that I had grown up with on my home island of St. Helena where that animal is our mascot instead. The United Nations was once again calling my name and I had to take my stand there. However, my heart was now not only with my people on the Sea Islands, but in a land that previously had only been in the pages of a comic book-Wakanda.

Tonight I was able to take the journey to Wakanda through the power and energy brought to the screen by numerous actors of African descent that have done outstanding and powerful portrayals of our people throughout their careers. The leading man was the one who sounded the drum for all of us from Carolina for sure-Chadwick Boseman. His range of work from James Brown to Marshall to Black Panther has truly done us proud. The drum beat that I and others must have heard coming from him has to be his heart beating out loud.

This film is filled with heart, emotion, and depth. It is not a comic strip come to life. It is art imitating African life with all of its joy and strife.

In the midst of each and every scene I sat seeing the parallels between Wakanda and the Gullah/Geechee Nation from the power in the eyes of the people to the direct senses of humor to the herbal healing to the sunset over the waterway. I also saw and felt the pain and hollowness of the others that come in seeking to exploit, destroy and/or put down what we have because they have never experienced it. I saw the massive complexities being fought out by the children of the African Diaspora not only in the range of the ways our people were dressed for this occasion and how we greeted or didn’t greet one another in the theater to the lines stated on the big screen that rang out loud and clear about what we have that can truly save the world if we only knew that we have it.

This journey into a land that Marvel had the technology to depict gave me an even greater appreciation and dedication to standing up on and for the shoreline of the Gullah/Geechee Nation and holdin pun we culcha fa allawe. I am truly thankful to have been able to take this journey into Wakanda you see.

#WakandaForever #GullahGeecheeForever and may the Black Panthers of the world continue to prowl and fight together!

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/16/black-panther-reflections-from-the-gullahgeechee-nation/feed/0Queen Quet Proudly Supporting Black Panther!gullahgeecheenationQueen Quet Proudly Supporting Black Panther!Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Conferences 2018https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/07/gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-conferences-2018/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/07/gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-conferences-2018/#commentsWed, 07 Feb 2018 20:20:43 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8714Millions of visitors come to the Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s coast annually seeking to get a look at the natives, hear the Gullah/Geechee language spoken, and to get a taste of the food! Millions also come through and to the Sea Islands and Lowcountry from Jacksonville, NC to Jacksonville, FL without ever realizing that they are within the boundaries of a region wherein there is a unique culture that has been recognized internationally. Many of them are shocked and intrigued to learn of the existence of the Gullah/Geechee people and they take time to seek out information on the people through websites and books that are many times written inaccurately by non-Gullah/Geechee people. So, in order to help people learn more about the continuing legacy of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, several conferences take place annually.

During Black History Month, the conferences are offering early bird registration discounts. These are wonderful opportunities engage in interactive activities and dialogues with people that live the Gullah/Geechee culture and learn first hand how they continue to keep their cultural heritage alive. You can also learn how you can be an active part of assisting in that process. The Gullah/Geechees encourage hunnuh fa jayn we fa yeddi who webe frum we!

• The Black Folks Land Legacy Conference which is held on historic St. Helena Island, SC allows visitors to engage in supporting the historic sites and Gullah/Geechee businesses on this island which is still 90-95% Gullah/Geechee owned. The conference luncheon is a traditional Gullah/Geechee meal. To register go to

• The Coastal Cultures Conference is in its sixth year. This annual conference which will be held on historic St. Helena Island, SC is hosted and presented by the Gullah/Geechee Sustainability Think Tank. The Gullah/Geechee people are a group that is being turned to from people around the world for advice on resilience and adaptation due to the fact that in spite of hurricanes, storm surge, sea level rise, drought, and numerous other climate change effects, the Gullah/Geechee Nation still exist and their cultural heritage continues to be sustained. To come be a part of a day filled with Gullah/Geechee activities, cuisine, and intellectual dialogue about the environment and how to keep cultural heritage alive within it. Register here at

• Come out to the inaugural “Realities of Reconstruction Conference” in Beaufort, SC! Beaufort County, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation is the location of the multi-site Reconstruction Era National Monument. This conference will allow the participants to see several of the sites associated with Reconstruction from the perspective of the Gullah/Geechee people. The site of the conference presentations will be the new Mather School Museum and Interpretive Center. The weekend will begin with a tour at that site and around Beaufort and the weekend will culminate with a tribute at 3 pm at the Harriet Tubman Bridge on the Combahee River. To register go to

The landmark St. Helena Branch Library will host its annual free Black History Month celebration on Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 6 pm. Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation(www.QueenQuet.com) and Founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition will provide the keynote address for the program themed “Gullahs of Achievement.” Queen Quet will focus on the legacy of Gullah/Geechee native Robert S. Abbott who founded “The Defender” newspaper and how his publication altered the history of tens of thousands of people of African descent during the era that is now referred to as “The Great Migration.”

Queen Quet was chosen to provide the keynote address not only due to her on-going support of the “Gullah/Geechee Living History Series” that goes on annually at the St. Helena Branch Library, but also due to the fact that she is one of two St. Helena Island natives to ever be presented with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History‘s “Living Legacy Award.” ASALH is the organization that was founded by the father of Black History Month, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. So, receiving an honor as a living legacy is a true accolade and a testimony to Queen Quet’s commitment to Black history and cultural heritage. She continues to live up to this honor by making sure to share the history that she loves at numerous venues annually for Black History Month. So, she invites and encourages you to bring out the family to celebrate Gullahs of Achievement.

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/03/gullahs-of-achievement-a-celebration-of-black-history/feed/2Gullahs of AchievementgullahgeecheenationGullahs of AchievementCelebrating #BlackHistory365 @GullahGeecheehttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/02/celebrating-blackhistory365-gullahgeechee/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/02/celebrating-blackhistory365-gullahgeechee/#commentsFri, 02 Feb 2018 19:26:45 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8703Every year the Gullah/Geechee Nation celebrates “Black History Month” via a number of events. However, the continuation of Gullah/Geechee cultural heritage goes on 365-366 days per year. So, the celebration of ourstory which is a living legacy of Black history continues daily. We wan hunnuh chillun fa cum fa jayn we!

The Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Gullah/Geechee Angel Network sponsor a number of events annually. Many of the events are FREE. However, all of the events have limited space. So, please make sure to obtain passes and/or register now. The conferences are all discounted for “Black History Month” as part of “Early Bird Registration.” If you become a Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition member by paying dues for the year, you will be able to take full advantage of the cheapest rates for all events and to receive invitations to the members only activities that take place annually. If you are already a member, Tenki Tenki!

• Thursday, February 8, 2018 at 8 pm at Winthrop University’s Dina’s Place for “What the Textbooks Won’t Teach You”

• Tuesday, February 20, 2018 at 6 pm Gullahs of Achievement at the St. Helena Branch Library on historic St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation

• Monday, February 26, 2018 at Anderson University for “Who WEBE @GullahGeechee”

Queen Quet will make stops at several grade schools during “Black History Month” as she makes her journey through SC. Ef hunnuh wan kno how fa bring disya ta whey hunnuh be, email GullGeeCo@aol.com or gwine ta www.QueenQuet.com.

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/02/queen-quet-of-de-gullahgeechee-black-history-een-sc-journey/feed/1Queen Quet of Gullah/Geechee Celebrating SC Black HistorygullahgeecheenationQueen Quet at Winthrop UniversityGullahs of AchievementQUEET QUET at Anderson UniversityRallies to Stop Oil Drilling @GullahGeecheehttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/01/rallies-to-stop-oil-drilling-gullahgeechee/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/01/rallies-to-stop-oil-drilling-gullahgeechee/#respondThu, 01 Feb 2018 17:37:10 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8692The current US administration is attempting to overturn the the removal of the east coast from oil exploration and drilling. The Gullah/Geechee Nation is calling on all of our citizens and supporters to stand with us and our environmental partners as we rally to #StoptheDrill and the use of seismic guns off of our coastline!

Boarding one of the buses departing South Carolina to head to the rally in Columbia, SC and to the BOEM meetings being held. The rally at the South Carolina State House will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. That afternoon environmental leaders fighting against this issue will speak at the Double Tree Hotel where the BOEM public comment session will also be held from 3 to 7 pm.

Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) and Founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition (www.GullahGeechee.net) continues to stand up in opposition to seismic gun use and oil drilling!

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/02/01/rallies-to-stop-oil-drilling-gullahgeechee/feed/0#StoptheDrill Off the #GullahGeechee Coastgullahgeecheenation#StoptheDrill Off the #GullahGeechee CoastQueen Quet of the Gullah/Geechee Opposing Oil DrillingGullah/Geechee Stand Up to #StoptheDrill and #ProtectOurCoastFighting for History-The Fort Fremont Storyhttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/01/20/fighting-for-history-the-fort-fremont-story/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/01/20/fighting-for-history-the-fort-fremont-story/#respondSat, 20 Jan 2018 15:46:49 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8684During the annual members meeting at the landmark St. Helena Branch Library, the Friends of Fort Fremont premiered the documentary, “Fort Fremont: The Last Bastion in the Defense of Port Royal Sound 1898 – 1912.” This is the untold story of our local historic landmark and Beaufort’s role in the Spanish-American War.

Interestingly enough, the film also provides brief insight into the US Civil War and the role that St. Helena and Hilton Head Islands played in it. This allowed the Gullah Statesman Robert Smalls to be mentioned within the context of how the naval operations came to be located in Beaufort County, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Unfortunately, the Gullah/Geechee men that ultimately built the fort were not mentioned in this initial film which will enhance the visitor experience prior to tours of Fort Fremont which is located on historic St. Helena Island, SC. The Friends of Fort Fremont begin a monthly tour of the site from the St. Helena Branch Library on the final Saturday of each month at 10:30 am.

The Friends of Fort Fremont have raised thousands of dollars which will be used to create an interpretive center at the Fort Fremont site. They have received a number of approvals for this and have the support of the county to proceed. So, they continue to seek members and volunteers that will assist with site maintenance and enhancement and with handling the visitors that will be coming to learn of this part of the history of the Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s coast. For those that would like to be a part of the battalion of historians that are continuing to fight for Fort Fremont, attending the tour and/or one of the coming film showings is a great starting point.

As one of the people that fought to keep the property of Fort Fremont from being a site for a planned unit development (PUD), it is wonderful to see the progress that has been made by people coming together to fight for this part of St. Helena Island’s history. I salute the Friends of Fort Fremontfor the outstanding effort!

Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation (www.QueenQuet.com) is the first Gullah/Geechee to become a member of the Friends of Fort Fremont. She was one of the Beaufort County historians that initially fought to have the Beaufort County Rural and Critical Lands Board purchase the site to prevent it from destructionment. That board and the Beaufort County Open Land Trust purchased the property to keep it public in perpetuity. The Friends of Fort Fremont have since provided kiosk and brochures so that visitors will understand the history of the site beyond the historic markers that sit outside the fence as they proceed inside.

]]>https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/01/20/fighting-for-history-the-fort-fremont-story/feed/0Fort FremontgullahgeecheenationFriends of Fort Fremont Documentary PremiereQueen Quet is a Friends of Fort FremontPenn Center and the Gullah/Geechee Communityhttps://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/01/18/penn-center-and-the-gullah-geechee-community/
https://gullahgeecheenation.com/2018/01/18/penn-center-and-the-gullah-geechee-community/#respondThu, 18 Jan 2018 19:39:11 +0000http://gullahgeecheenation.com/?p=8678On the cold evening of January 17, 2018, Gullah/Geechees of St. Helena Island and a handful of newcomers to the area made their way into Frissell Community House at the Penn Center National Landmark Historic District. The gathering was not unlike those that most of us that are native to the island grew up attending. Folks blocked the doorway as they signed in with hugs and “good ednins” gwine on. The smiles and “Happy New Year” greetings set the tone for what needs to be a new phase of the direction that this historic institution takes.

Penn Center, Inc.originated as “Penn School” in 1862 when it was founded by northern missionaries that did not have an understanding of the Sea Island community to which they came. To that end, they did not respect the local language and felt it was their “calling” to educate the people that attended the school which included insuring that they would not carry on their own language except when it would be done in songs which entertained the potential donors that visited the campus. These singing sessions continued when Penn closed as a school and became a non-profit organization called “Penn Community Services” and remains under “Penn Center, Inc.” These sessions are called “Community Sing” and are held on the third Sunday evening of each month.

The Gullah/Geechee family of St. Helena Island seemed to be singing in harmony once again during this first gathering of what is the Penn Center Community Relations Committee (CRC). The CRC is a standing committee of the Penn Center, Inc. Board of Trustees. It was established on December 8, 2017 in order to improve and enhance the relationship between Penn Center, Inc. and the community it serves.

Interestingly enough, the improvements and enhancements that were stated during the working group sessions at the first meeting included people stating that the institution should not disrespect nor misrepresent Gullah/Geechee culture and that the local language needs to be continued. The latter is definitely not the duty of the institution. That is the duty of those that were the native Gullah/Geechees in the room and the others throughout the Gullah/Geechee Nation. However, the institution’s administration and board are being directed not to go back to what the past was when people on the campus is to denied the existence of our unique culture and our language and degraded the people that spoke Gullah fluently. This is no doubt a concern given that fact that the institution that had a long history of being operated by Gullah/Geechees that volunteered at the space and Gullah/Geechee staff no longer has this. The Board of Trustees for Penn Center, Inc. have heard numerous concerns about what this has caused in regard to relations with the local community and their guests that come to St. Helena Island and to that end, the CRC has been formed to address these concerns and more. The community articulated their concerns via work sessions and came up with this list:

The community also provided input on what should continue or be kept at Penn as well as ideas on what things should begin there:

This input will be compiled and provided to the board at their next board meeting in order for their feedback to be returned to the community at the next CRC meeting. A primary objective of the Community Relations Committee is to establish and maintain two-way communication between Penn Center’s board, staff and community members. The Community Relations Committee will host at a minimum, 1 Community Forum each quarter beginning January 2018, and will also provide leadership and coordination for the Community Sing Program.

The community encompasses the locality of St. Helena Island, as well as surrounding areas; anyone who is interested in the mission of the Penn Center, Inc. has an open invitation to participate in Community Relations Committee activities. The Committee is scheduled to meet at 6 pm in Frissell Community House on Penn’s campus on the following dates in 2018:

• March 21• May 16• July 18• September 19• November 21

This is an outstanding opportunity for the community to loan their voice to the future of Penn in order to insure that it will be improved and be supported for another over 150 years. The fact that the first meeting was held two days after the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was no doubt Divinely Order since he, too, had gatherings of the community in this community house. Now it will take those that gathered in the house and reasoned together to keep the house standing and to decorated it in a way that will truly honor our Gullah/Geechee ancestors that attended there and that literally built the buildings that stand as a historic treasure in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Tenk GAWD fa all hunnuh chillun wha taut um not robree fa be een de numba! Keep gwine on!

Queen Quet is not only the founder of the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition which has supported numerous programs of Penn for over 20 years and brought hundreds of volunteers to the campus to donate to and work on the campus, she is also an advisor to the Penn Center Board of Trustees. Queen Quet has received numerous awards for her community work including the “Women of Distinction Award” from Penn Center, Inc. From 2013 to 2015, she proudly co-chaired the annual Heritage Days Celebration which is a homecoming for St. Helena Islanders and a major fundraiser for the institution. Admission to that event will be FREE for 2018 according to an announcement made by the Penn Center Executive Director during the first meeting of the Community Relations Committee.

I think it is necessary for us to realize that we have moved from the era of civil rights to the era of human rights…[W]hen we see that there must be a radical redistribution of economic and political power, then we see that…we have been in a reform movement…we have moved into an era where we are called upon to raise certain basic questions about the whole society.

Reverend Dr. Martin L. King Jr. made this statement inside Frissell Hall at Penn Community Services Inc. which is now “Penn Center” during the May 1967 Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff retreat on historic St. Helena Island, SC in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. The Gullah/Geechee Nation has continued to be a region that fosters the work of human rights. These Sea Islands sands are where native Gullah/Geechees voted and elected their own leader as they stood together on their human right to self-determination to insure that their communities would not be displaced and that while they remained on the shores of the coastline that the economic and political power there were appropriately redistributed as Dr. King had called for in the final year before his assassination.

Many elders of the Gullah/Geechee Nation that were part of the meetings with Dr. King can speak of his insights and his personality. However, many that speak and write of him do not mention his foresight beyond the final speeches that he gave prior to April 1968 in which they believe he saw his death coming. Look at the words that he spoke before the advent of the internet and drones:

There can be no gainsaying of the fact that a great revolution is taking place in the world today. In a sense it is a triple revolution; that is a technological revolution, with the impact of automation and cybernation; then there is a revolution of weaponry, with the emergence of atomic and nuclear weapon of warfare. Then there is a human rights revolution, with the freedom explosion that is taking place all over the world.

When the reality of what it meant for a group of Black leaders to come forth and be supported by their own people in a stand for their human rights, the Gullah/Geechee Nation‘s leaders and Dr. King were attacked. Dr. King was attacked by many that he had previously worked with who felt he was moving too fast and was going to an extreme that they were not ready for. They tried to tell him to just stick with what others who were not poor and who were not Black told them-do this gradually. He wrote a clear response to this which was published as “Why We Can’t Wait.” He also made it clear in his speech for the launch of the Poor People’s Campaign that:

Yes, we do live in a period where changes are taking place and there is still the voice crying the vista of time saying, “Behold, I make all things new, former things are passed away”… Now whenever anything new comes into history it brings with it new challenges … and new opportunities … We are coming to Washington in a poor people’s campaign. Yes, we are going to bring the tired, the poor, the huddled masses … We are coming to demand that the government address itself to the problem of poverty … We are coming to ask America to be true to the huge promissory note that is signed years ago. And we are coming … to call attention to the gulf between promise and fulfillment; to make the invisible visible.

The forces working against Dr. King and those that have attempted to work against the continuation of human rights work in the Gullah/Geechee Nation recognized the leaders’ consciousness and commitment which would allow for the capacity building needed to achieve the goal to increase the quality of life for those that are economically disadvantaged and that are often discriminated against. Without a consistent commitment to freedom, no campaign for civil rights or human rights can be successful. One must have just what an outstanding documentary about the Gullah/Geechee Nation has within its title-“the will to survive.” While surviving, one should be thriving and not simply “getting by” and “making do.”

Those that were tired of being sick and tired literally were the people that Dr. King called together to join him in Washington, DC in order to hold the administration accountable via a platform that called for an Economic Bill of Rights. This bill of rights was to lift the load of poverty. It included:

$30 billion annual appropriation for a real war on poverty

Congressional passage of full employment and guaranteed income legislation

Construction of 500,000 low-cost housing units per year until slums were eliminated

To accomplish this, those engaged in the Poor People’s Campaign intended to undertake going to the National Mall in Washington, DC and building Resurrection City between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. This would be the staging ground for public demonstrations, mass nonviolent civil disobedience, and mass arrests to protest the plight of poverty in this country. The protest was to be coupled with a national boycott of major industries and shopping areas. So, clearly the Poor People’s Campaign was using what one could call “best practices” of the civil rights movement to strike out on the human rights movement. They had seen each of these methods work successfully in other states and had gotten a civil rights bill passed, so it was logical to continue using them in order to elevate to the human rights platform.

Dr. King did not live to march to Washington, DC with those that he had called together and had worked with to organize the Poor People’s Campaign. He was killed April 4, 1968 and the masses proceeded to the Hill on April 29, 1968. Nine regional caravans brought thousands there: the “Eastern Caravan,” the “Appalachia Trail,” the “Southern Caravan,” the “Midwest Caravan,” the “Indian Trail,” the “San Francisco Caravan,” the “Western Caravan,” the “Mule Train,” and the “Freedom Train.” These groups returned home to continue the work that they had begun and many of the names of the leaders we never hear of. The visionary’s death had dampened some spirits and caused many to fear continuing to seek freedom.

The fear of freedom is often at the heart of those that work against it. As a result, many people work against own interest. Dr. King saw this and stated:

You know, whenever Pharaoh wanted to prolong the period of slavery in Egypt, he had a favorite, favorite formula for doing it. What was that? He kept the slaves fighting among themselves. But whenever the slaves get together, something happens in Pharaoh’s court, and he cannot hold the slaves in slavery. When the slaves get together, that’s the beginning of getting out of slavery.

Dr. King was astute about what was taking place not only in the south or in the United States. He also was well aware of the global movements that were taking place. To that end, before he launched the Poor People’s Campaign, he did a speech in which he stated:

Something is happening in our world. The masses of people are rising up. And wherever they are assembled today, whether they are in Johannesburg, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; Accra, Ghana; New York City; Atlanta, Georgia; Jackson, Mississippi; or Memphis, Tennessee — the cry is always the same: “We want to be free.”… Now, what does all of this mean in this great period of history? It means that we’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to stay together and maintain unity.

Nothing has changed in his statement in the half century since his death except that he could add to this list the Gullah/Geechee Nation is rising up. The Gullah/Geechee Nation we’ve got to stay together and maintain unity! We must continue to affirm that we will do as Dr. King dedicated his life to doing and choose to identify with the underprivileged. Choose to identify with the poor. Choose to give your life for the hungry. Choose to give your life for those who have been left out…This is the way I’m going in order to live up to the mission of the Gullah/Geechee Nation:

To preserve, protect, and promote our history, culture, language, and homeland and to institute and demand official recognition of the governance (minority) rights necessary to accomplish our mission to take care of our community through collective efforts which will provide a healthy environment, care for the well beings of each person, and economic empowerment.

We MUST continue tocall attention to the gulf between promise and fulfillment and make the invisible visible. We can only do this if we are indivisible!